One Thousand Tears
by SoaringGryphonProductions
Summary: It was called 'The War to End All Wars' and 'The Great War'. There'll never be another conflict quite like this in the history of Equestria. The Griffon Kingdom, the Hippogriff Kingdom of Chefal, and Equestria made up the allies against the Changeling Empire. Will the war end? One does not know.
1. Chapter 1

**My Little Pony: One Thousand Tears**

**Chapter 1: Sturmtruppen **

This is a war we did not ask for, and yet we fight. It pains me to see the fields that once harvested wheat and corn are now grey and scarred with shell holes and mud. The skies are grey and look to bring the rains again. The shell holes fill with rainwater. A fitting drink for us on the frontline. For beneath those water-filled holes are the bodies of the dead

Not a single tree stands out there, and where there were once crops for the seasons are now bushes of barbed wire. On and on this war drags on, but to what end? The ink that the history of this war is written is in the spilt blood of ponies, griffons, hippogriffs and changelings. The end of the war has not been written. I pray the guns may soon be silent.

My name is Geline De Graaf. I am an officer serving in the Royal Army of the Griffon Kingdom, a lieutenant. Our Griffon Kingdom sides with Equestria and the Hippogriff Kingdom of Chefal to push back the Changeling Empire. Soon it will be our turn to charge 'No Mares Land' from our trenches. It is nothing but a synchronized sacrifice in this modern war.

"How is your wing?" I asked a soldier,

Her name is Galena, "I'll live, lieutenant,"

I look into the eyes of those soldiers under my command as the rain begins to fall. One can hear the light plinks of raindrops falling on their M17 stahlhelms. They seem to know. On the other side in the enemy trench, there is a bullet that wears their names. It is hard to look at a soldier in the eye knowing they are there now, but may not be there soon.

M1906 Luger Rifles rest on their shoulders as they share hand-rolled cigarettes with one another, trying to keep warm in the cold rain. The mud is so cold that it stings my talons and paws like the hand of death itself. I went up to a machine-gunner at the helm of an Bergmann MG-15 n.A and patted his shoulder. He simply looked back at me and nodded.

The formalities and words are few with my soldiers. I have two acting second-in-commands under me, Sergeants Gabby and Gilda. Even through all the carnage and death they have seen, they can still manage a small grin when I pass by. They sometimes accompany me on trench-raids. Now is not a good time of the year. We do our raids in the spring.

"Are we going in?" Gabby asked me,

"I have not heard from HQ," I replied,

"We're all going to die," Gilda stated,

Most officers would discipline Gilda for such negative words. I did not, "True," I replied, and gently touched her cheek, "but we will meet death with bravery," I stated back, Gilda lightly grinned and nodded. The trenches and mud have made for low spirits, though when the cook comes by a meal that usually brightens up their spirits for that brief moment

The distant thunder of guns could be heard every night. In these darkest of times, I do my best to give the thousands of soldiers under my command hope for survival. The next morning, Sergeant Gabby came with a telegram from high command. A new offensive is to begin on our front in a weeks time. I also received new troops from the Southern Line

An officer is easy for troops to find with my feldgrau Model 1915 Schirmmütze, and feldgrau uniform with a leather belt for a Walther Model 6, and a trench raiding club. All steel with twelve 1 and 1/2 inch long spikes affixed to the cylinder-shaped head on a round steel shaft with a turned handle. It's overall length is 22 inches and it weighs 4 and 3/4lbs

I am half harpy eagle and half snow leopard. I have brown eyes, and big healthy haunches in the back with my tail and my large wings. I am from the mountain regions, so I am quite big. I walked along the wood planked walkway to see two new soldiers: Glenda and Gretchen, "Welcome," I said saluting back to them, calm and collected in my voice.

"Get yourselves squared away, and get yourselves some food, I believe it is lentil stew with ham hocks and sausage," I said to the new arrivals, and gave the two soldiers a light touch on the tops of their helmets. The two soldiers went on their way trying to find a spot to settle into in the trenches. There is an innocence in their look, youth and innocence

I looked up at the sky splashed with orange, purple, pink and yellow as the sun settled off in the distance. It is one of the few beautiful things untouched by the war. I went to see to the troops looking down the sights of their rifles for any targets, and to see how they are all holding up even if it is a light touch on the wing. What can survive out there?

"Lieutenant, look," said Gabby quietly

"I saw it too," said Gilda at her rifle,

"I gotta a shot," Gilda added readily,

"Do not take it, look," I replied, seeing two soldiers getting their wounded out at night. The moans of the wounded sounded on the winds. One does not know if the wounded will make it or not. There are other things that can kill you out here besides a bullet or a blade. I have seen what this war can do to a griffon, and it is not something I want to relive.

Our time came. It was the day the offensive was about to begin. The artillery batteries sounded the thunder like the Hammer of Ares upon the enemy. I wore my M17 stahlhelm in the place of my Schirmmütze, and readied my Walther Model 6. I looked down at my pocket watch, and put it back in my pocket. The time to attack drew near, "One minute,"

The shells sounded as they hit the enemy trench and the surrounding ground of the enemy trench. Their shells were coming at us too. It rained down mud with the pouring rain mixing with the barrage of artillery fire. Soldiers would duck down their heads in unison at the shells drew near, and their rifles quivered in their talons. I admit it. I feel their fear

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	2. Chapter 2

**My Little Pony: One Thousand Tears**

**Chapter 2: Great War (Sabaton) **

A wise one once said: 'War is war, and hell is hell, and of the two, war is a lot worse'. That wise one could not be any more correct. The seconds are ticking down from my pocket watch while the shelling raged on. I peaked up to look over at the frontier of shell holes and barbed wire. I closed my eyes for a moment, and cocked the receiver of my Walther.

"Fix bayonets!" I called back to my troops. The order circulated from Gilda to Gabby and the other officers taking part in the offensive. Here is hoping the creeping barrage will work against the enemy. The sounds of KS98 'Sawback' bayonets being unsheathed, and fixed to the barrels of rifles are notes in a song of war with choruses made by bullets.

I looked back at my troops. Gilda and Gabby looked back at me. Gabby has her puffy youthful cheeks and pretty eyes. Gilda and Galena have a grin that reflect their inner drive. It is good to have close friends in the trenches, but when they die the pain is worse than a bullet with death seeming to be the one release from the inferno of this shattered land

"Für Greifenstein! Angriff!" I yelled,

The war cries of thousands came out of the trenches, and charged the line. Thousands valiant in their hearts charging forward into the fire with bayonets. The only way to break the deadlock is forward into the crossfire and artillery. As we attacked, the shells kept falling. My ears will not forget the cries of pain, and sound of falling bodies to the barrage.

I shifted my eyes back at my troops. Soldiers were thrown back by machine gun and rifle fire from the enemy trench. There is no uglier a sound than a bullet hitting the mark on a soldier and having their blood splatter on your face. You cannot look back. You have to accept the fact that your comrades will die. The only thing you can do is press forward.

When the machine guns start spitting bullets, whole companies are cut down in an instant. The bodies fall, painting the disfigured ground red in blood. Bodies would be slumped over barbed wire or fall facedown in the mud or make a splash in the shell hole, floating facedown in the muddy water. There may also ring the gentle 'plink' sound of a headshot

A shell almost hit me as I rolled forward into a shell hole where I saw Gilda, Gabby, and Galena. I looked up to see a machine gun nest on the enemy lines. I saw my shot, and took it with a headshot at the loader of the Skoda M1909. Another loader took his place. The crossfire ground through the dirt and mud, almost hitting me as I ducked my head

As we readied our Stielhandgranates to take out a machine gun nest, a griffon soldier looked to our shell hole. A white griffon with dark grey talons, dark grey wings, and white fur. She got tangled up in barbed wire when a stray artillery shell landed a direct hit on her. She vanished in a blackened explosion. A disembodied head rolled into the shell hole.

"Sweet Celestia..." Gabby whimpered,

"Keep your head down!" Gilda yelled,

"Stay low! Stay with us!" yelled Galena,

I looked back to see the deadpan look in her green eyes, and a beak slightly agape. I clinched my eyes closed, and opened them to look at the enemy cutting down soldier by solder with machine guns, and shell blasts killing even more. A soldier near our position had all his entrails and his liver splayed out as he laid on his back in a pool of his blood.

He called out to his mother in his cries of pain. There is no way he can be saved. Others are facedown in the mud or looking up at the grey skies with the lower halves of their bodies missing with entrails and blood reddening the murky waters of the shell holes behind them. I nodded to Gabby, Gilda, and Galena and we threw in our Stielhandgranates.

We had silenced that machine gun nest, "Los geht's!" I called out to any soldiers still alive to attack. There were a few still griffons alive taking cover in the other positions in 'No Mares Land'. A couple more from Gretchen and Glenda cleared a way for us as we charged the trench from our positions. Splashes sounded griffons falling back, shot by rifle fire

"Forward!" shouted Gilda,

We leaped into the trench where things get up close. I emptied my Walther Model 6 to kill any tan-uniformed changeling that got in my way. I patted the back of rifle-griffons as they moved through the maze of the trenches. I holstered my pistol for my steel trench club as I saw Glenda and Gretchen being pinned down, and I bashed in changeling skulls

Black blood splattered against my beak. It is bitter to taste. Glenda picked up her Luger Rifle again, and shot a changeling in the stomach. Her body slumped against the wooden ramparts. I unsheathed my M1917 Stormdolk to fight with my steel raiding club, stabbing a changeling under the wing, and then smashing another across the upside of the head

"Lieutenant!" Gilda cried out amid the carnage in the trenches. I failed to notice a changeling behind me looking to stick me with a bayonet. Galena squared her sights, and shot the changeling in the head before she could kill me. I nodded lightly as a thank you to one of the officers. I smacked another with my steel raiding club, and even broke a neck.

Glenda and Gretchen followed behind me, running changelings through with bayonets or striking them aside with rifle stocks. Ahead of me where Gabby, Gilda, and Galena. They looked to have stood their ground armed with sharpened spades and a trench club just like mine. I gave one to Gilda as a show of goodwill, "The trench's all clear," said Galena.

I lightly nodded with a grin to say 'good work'. Victory maybe sweet first, but the price that was paid for it makes the taste only last for a brief moment. The field was strewned with the bodies of the fallen. The stretcher bearers combed the field, and began the work of collecting the dead. All this for the price of a mile, for the price of a single trench line


	3. Chapter 3

**My Little Pony: One Thousand Tears**

**Chapter 3: The Southern Line (L'Armée De Chefal)**

All death is certain, just the forms it comes in will always vary. All that is beautiful is gone, but we will give our lives to Equestria. My name is Heloise, I am the head officer of this outpost on the Southern Line. I am a hippogriff, a mountain hippogriff. Those from my home are big, rugged and strong birds. To the changelings I say: "On ne passe pas!"

Our kind are more griffon-like in appearance, and slightly bigger in size than normal hippogriffs. For example, I am half golden saker falcon and half black and tan Warlander. The lines are quiet now, but there is palpable tension in the air. My Adrian Helmet is always on my head like a crown would be on a king of old, and I feel the rain plink against it.

The trench is a cold and sad place. My soldiers huddle together for warmth as it has been raining for two days straight. I see in their eyes a longing for the end. The changelings will attack our trench, and then we will attack theirs. To even the score, we will attack them once more. I have received news that the griffons had made a breech in the north.

'Good to the Griffons' I thought,

This war began with a bullet. Hopefully, it can end with pen and ink. A changeling assassin shot and killed Prince Blueblood, the nephew of Princess Celestia. After it was found that Queen Chrysalis was behind the assassination, it all went to hell. We are now two years into this war, and the dead have now reached into the millions, or so I've been told.

In Chefal, we speak two languages, French and Flemish, just like the Griffon Kingdom speak German and Dutch. Our uniforms and helmets are khaki green in color with brown leather belts and webbing. My sidearm is an FN Model 1903 pistol while soldiers under my command have the Schmidt-Rubin 1911. Our weapons are beloved for their reliability.

Our forces use two machine guns: the Hotchkiss Model 1914 and the Berthier Automatic Rifle with a few adjustments. Our machine guns are rechambered for GP-11 cartridge. Our Hotchkiss heavy machine guns use a side-mounted drum magazine in place of oiled feed strips for a more sustained rate of fire to ward off enemy attacks when they come

"Any day now," I said quietly to myself,

'Still no orders' I added in my thoughts

I looked out at the enemy trench with my binoculars. I see the tan-colored peaked caps of the changeling soldiers as they move back and forth in the trenches, probably doing the usual duties my soldiers do over here. It would not be an extent to say that their maybe some changelings that do not want any part in this war. Still, we all must do our part

The dead are still out in the mud, food for the crows and the rats. When we charge the lines, one can see the going through the stages of rot. Soon the dead will be nothing but bones. As I walked the wooden duckboards of the trench, I see to the tercels and hens that make up the hundreds of soldiers I command trying to get through the hellish misery

Some are sharing cigarettes or playing cards on a crate functioning as a makeshift table. Even just a touch on the shoulder to the hens or a pat on the shoulder for the tercels make them lightly grin back to me. This is to let them know that I am still here, and that we will get through. Though the reality of our ordeal is much more grim, and I know it.

"Will they attack?" asked Henriette,

"Who knows?" replied a soldier, Harlene

"One does not know, still...keep a sharp eye," I said to the soldier, Henriette is a fusilier and one of the best shots in the company. She is a gyrfalcon mixed with a dappled mare. Just then, a shell hit near our trench. A dirt clod hit me on the top of the helmet, and a few small pebbles rained into the trench. I am used to this routine so I merely shrug it off

"Well, that is new way to make a greeting," joked Henriette, one must be pretty talented to find something to laugh at in these trenches. I smirked a light smile, and went about my own business. The gun crew at a 'Soixante-Quinze' fired one back as a reply to their greeting that nearly hit our trench. The shell hit the back near the trench. A fair warning.

Another shell hits, and raises what was left of a ruined schoolhouse to the ground in a cloud of dust and debris. Even in our time in the inferno, there come the little things that soldiers love. The post-griff made her rounds in the trenches handing out mail to the stationed soldiers. It brightens me inside to see my soldiers getting mail from their families.

"Still nothing?" I asked the post-griff,

"I'm afraid not, Lieutenant," she replied,

"It is what it is," I replied, it is not her fault,

I nodded lightly back, and turned my head away. My family still disapprove of me being a soldier. Still, it is up to me to make my own destiny. I shook it off. When the war ends, what will await me when I return home? With my Berthier Automatic Rifle slung behind me, I sat by the machine gun nest. I pulled out and lit myself a cigarette from the pocket

The machine gunner Harcourt turned to me as I blew a puff of smoke, and grinned, "I used up my smokes last week, do think you can spare one?" he asked, a handsome fellow he is. Harcourt worked on the railroads before he enlisted. A golden eagle brown stallion griff, he has a wife and two daughters waiting for him to return home. He is a good one.

I reached into my leather pocket, and gave a smoke to him. His face reminds me of a griffon soldier I met named Gilda. He lit himself a smoke, and returned to his post. There is around 91m of ground between our trench and the changeling lines. This ground used to be rolling hills and countryside. The artillery shells and rain have turned it into a swamp

I sighed, "All that was beautiful is gone,"


	4. Chapter 4

**My Little Pony: One Thousand Tears**

**Chapter 4: Angels Calling (Sabaton)**

I looked out at the mangled landscape with a notice from the High Command that we are to attack in two days time. I have sent my soldiers over the top only to be repulsed and turned back. Their bones still litter the fields. With all the intense shelling, I don't think even their bones would be left of the dead. This time it will be different. I had a strategy.

In the dark of the night, we fixed our bayonets and crawled out of the trench on our bellies. The shell holes gave us cover to move in unseen. We kept out heads down low as we crawled into the foxholes, and set up our weapons. The Changelings did not even notice that we got our Hotchkiss Machine Guns out of the trenches. Everything went as planned

The next day, the shelling began. Little do our enemies know that we are not in the trench. The plan is for our troops to be too close for their artillery to hit us, but close enough for us to hit them with our rifles, machine guns, and grenades. I had my back to the wall of the muddy shell hole with my Berthier Automatic Rifle resting on me. I needed quiet.

I instructed my soldiers beforehand, "I need complete silence from all of you, no lights, no matches, and no smoking, don't do anything to give us away, for darkness will be our ally," so far all the soldiers understood that, all six hundred of them. My cousin, an officer named Wilhelmina, was in another shell hole right next to mine. I nodded lightly to her

We were ten yards away from their trench lines. It must be a miracle. I can hear the commands of their officers to their soldiers to fix bayonets to their Mannlicher M95 rifles. I looked to see Harcourt tip the barrel of his heavy machine gun upward to make it look like a knocked-out machine gun nest while still holding onto the brass handle, very clever.

"For Queen and Hive, Attack!" yelled the officer,

"En avant!" I called out, and we attacked as well,

"Now!" called out Wilhelmina, and the bullets flew.

We came up from our positions in the shell holes, and ambushed them. Wilhelmina and I led the thrust into the unprepared Changelings, gunning down Changeling soldiers as they fell back into and around the trench like fresh fallen timbers to an axe. Henriette and Harlene threw in F1 grenades to destroy the machine guns, clearing the path to charge

Harcourt and the other machine gunners came out of hiding, and began to cut down Changelings like tall wheat to the scythe. Rifles fired into the charging ranks or soldiers were getting up close and running Changelings through with bayonets or striking them aside the rifle stocks. Even in this planned out strategy, I still had losses in my attacking troops

Wilhelmina and I reloaded the thirty-round overhead magazines as we got in the trench. Changelings fell in the hundreds in the surprise attack, falling back into their trench or falling facedown in the mud or stuck on barbed wire. Their black blood pooled everywhere. The quarters were close enough for trench knives and bayonets as our birds poured in

A machine gun crew at a Skoda M1909 machine gun was cutting down my troops with ease. I can hear their cries on the winds and the sounds of their lifeless bodies falling into the dirt and mud. Not if Wilhelmina and I had anything to say about it, and ambushed the heavy machine gun post pinning down our troops with automatic rifles to clear the way

With the officers leading the charge being dead for all we know amid the chaos, the Changeling lines began to panic. The dead were left where they fell, and the wounded were being pulled away groaning with hooves and wings dragging in the mud. Our soldiers and the Changelings were buried in mass graves on the field. It is the very least we can do.

"I had this planned this out so well," I said with a sigh,

"This is war, and griffs will die," Wilhelmina replied,

"And still we fight, we are soldiers," I said back,

"Not everyone here is going home," said Wilhelmina,

"But we fight, there is much to fight for," I replied,

My cousin is very beautiful. Her front half is a harpy eagle, and her back is a dapple grey mare with grey wings. She is as big and as buxom in the back flanks as I am. I guess it runs in the family. I helped her pull bodies away from the enemy machine gun. As I put one of the bodies in a grave, the deadpan eyes of a young soldier hen was staring at me.

She had a trail of blood coming from the side of her beak. The look on her face asked me a two word question: why me? I closed my eyes to shed a tear for the fallen in battle. I knew my cousin is right. She lightly touched me on the wing, and I has finished putting in the last few shovels into the grave with the help of a few other soldiers in my company

Harcourt and his crew replaced the Skoda with a Hotchkiss, and reloaded a side drum magazine with fresh munition belts. The Changelings retreated to the mountains, but they will be back. Wilhelmina had a warm smile on her beak. The kind of smile that family greet each other with, "Ham and Potato," she said, giving me some soup. How sweet of her.

I nodded to her, and she nuzzled my cheek, "We will see this war to it's end," she said to me, the soup was warm just like her. The griffons are leading the way into the enemy lines, and we are to follow their flanks and get caught up with them. We hippogriffs are not the only ones fighting in this war on the allied side against Queen Chrysalis's hordes.

The post-griff is going to have to send notices to the families of those who perished. The Griffons fight on the Northern Front. We Hippogriffs fight on the Southern Front, and the Ponies fight on the Eastern and Western Fronts. Here is hoping that supplies can get caught up to the Griffon Troops. I do wonder how the Ponies are fairing in their war theatre?

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	5. Chapter 5

**My Little Pony: One Thousand Tears**

**Chapter 5: Dough-Ponies and Tommies**

Like the Griffons and Hippogriffs, we didn't ask for war but we were prepared for one after the assassination of Prince Blueblood. I'm Valiant Charge. I'm a Captain and the Head Officer of the 308th Royal Unicorn Regiment. It's Unicorns that are the most valuable of the enlisted ponies fighting in the war in the name of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna

I'm a mare. With a name like mine, most do expect a stallion. I'm a typical tanned fur and black mane and tail with brown eyes. My cutie mark is two crossed cavalry lances. No doubt I was born to be a soldier. I didn't expect a war like this, but at the same time I did. The dreams of glory and fame die just as fast as young soldiers do going over the top.

The hammer of the Changeling Empire falls the hardest on the Eastern and Western Fronts. The shelling is constant night and day. Most of the time you hunker down in a trench and cover your ears. The shells are so loud you can barely hear the sounds of your own screams. The lands we defend used to be so beautiful come the springtime. Not anymore

I share the command of the pony troops with Earl of Grey. He's a Lieutenant and the Head Officer of Her Majesty's 303rd Royal Unicorn Fusilier Regiment. Gritish Ponies. They're so highbrow with the names of their own regiments. There was finally an end to the shelling for now. Those Changelings have been firing off the artillery for over three days now

"How're your lads and lasses?" he asked,

"Getting by, yours?" I asked back to him,

"Shaken by the guns, but getting by," he replied,

"Same here, some of my troops are young," I stated,

The guns will come again. I have been around my soldiers in the trenches since the war began. In the time you spend with them and when you charge No Mares Land with them, you develop an attitude that everypony is going to die. It may be today, and it may not be tomorrow. Still, there is a bullet with your name on it, and you will not be going home

Each pony has a place in the army. The Unicorns are front line infantry. The Pegasi are often scouts, or are in the Royal Flying Corps. Finally, the Earth Ponies are often sappers, in the labor corps, or are in the artillery corps. A uniform consist of a khaki green tunic jacket, a tan belt, webbing for ammunition and supplies, and an M1917 or 'Brodie' helmet

The rifle is a soldier's best friend. For us, the standard issue rifles are the M1917 Enfield and M1903 Springfield with the M1905 bayonet. For Gritish troops, their standard rifle is the SMLE Mk.3 or 'Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk.3' with the P1903 bayonet. When you come face-to-face with a Changeling, you better stick it in him before he sticks it in you.

If there's one of the many weapons that this war will be remembered by in infamy it will be the machine gun. With such a weapon system, some say it's possible for two ponies to hold off an attack of two hundred. To hold our lines, we use the M1917 Browning and the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle. The Gritish use the Vickers Mk.1 and the Lewis Gun

"How's it look, we're going in?" he asked,

"No, but they're trying," I replied to the Earl,

I gave him my binoculars, "Stormtroopers, so brash,"

"They're trying to catch us napping," I smirked,

"Oi, Full-Auto, give 'em a few," ordered The Earl of Grey to a stallion with a black mane and tail, and as grey as the machine gun. He nodded lightly, and lowered down his Brodie Helmet. He fired off a few rounds to send the stormtroopers back to the trenches. The Earl is a handsome stallion the color of tea with milk and a chocolate brown mane and tail.

His cutie mark is a cup of tea and a saucer with two crossed swords. It is not hard to spot an infantry pony with our horns coming out of a special hole in the Brodie Helmets or our M1917 Helmets, "Val, have you heard the news from the Top? The Griffon and Hippogriff Forces've broken the Northern and Southern Lines, they fight like demons, they do,"

He has a bit of Blueblood pomp to him, but he is a good soldier and can listen to reasoning. From the look in his brown eyes, you can almost think he and the former Prince look alike. He carries a five-flanged, 16 and 1/2 inch long trench club at a belt loop at his side. The Earl has a Colt New Service revolver at his side while I use a Colt M1917 revolver.

"If we breach the Eastern and Western Fronts, there's no doubt the Changelings will retreat to the Badlands, the Pegasi Scouts say they've got that line turned into a fortress," I explained to the Earl, the lightly nodded, even when we break through the lines, it will still be an uphill battle. It's not an extent to say that we will need all the help we can get.

"With careful planning it can be done," he said,

"I like your optimism, Earl," I said with a smirk,

"It's the best thing to have now," he replied,

I'm a cow-mare from Appleloosa. My big cousin Trouble Shoes is in the artillery corps so I inherited a bit of my size from his side of the family as I'm a little bit bigger than most ponies. I wish him all the best in this war. I do my best to visit him when I get the chance. I do miss the ranch, Braeburn and all my friends back home. I hope I live to see them

I patted the Earl of Grey lightly on the side, and went off to find food. Hopefully there's some barley stew or split pea soup to eat. That is if the Changelings didn't blow the field kitchen to kingdom come in all their infernal shelling. I walked the duckboards of the trench to find the field kitchen is still standing. After all, a happy soldier is a well-fed soldier.


	6. Chapter 6

**My Little Pony: One Thousand Tears**

**Chapter 6: The Price of a Mile (Sabaton)**

Many say that this war is so terrible that even Discord wept for it to end. I had received for from the Brass, we're going in. The rains had stopped turning No Mares Land into one hundred yards of mud and murky waters in the shell holes and the smell of death in the air. This mixed in with gunpowder and burning flesh. I checked my watch. It is now time.

The shells of the Changeling artillery screamed and hammered the grounds as I looked over at the lines. The shells sent rocks and dirt clods into the trench. I looked back at my troops as I checked the cylinder on my revolver and readied my M1909 bolo using my magic, "Fix bayonets!" I called back at them, using their Unicorn magic to ready their rifles

"Fix bayonets!" Earl of Grey ordered his troops,

The Earl of Grey and I commanded a combined twelve-hundred troops for the attack, six hundred Equestrian and six hundred Gritish-Equestrian soldiers. When the Earl and I blew the trench whistles, we charged under the constant rain of artillery. The machine guns sounded a greeting to our attack with words of hot lead, and the ponies began to fall.

The first pony catching up to me was shot in the head, and fell back into the trench. Her blood splattered against my face. The shells sent bodies into shell holes like ragdolls and facedown in the waters and mud of the field. A stallion was sent flying to the mud with a back leg getting blown off. He screamed to highest heaven holding onto a bloody stump

"Everypony keep low!" I yelled amid the carnage,

Ponies were being cut down and thrown back by rifles and machine guns. A soldier following me into a shell hole was shot just as he got behind me, his body floating facedown in the muddy water. The things I saw got more horrifying as the battle carried on. Soldiers that charged the barbed wire were shot, and their bodies slumped over the defenses.

A magic barrier cannot and will not protect you from bullets or the shrapnel on the barrage. A piece of shrapnel struck a soldier in the head. He fell in a pool of his blood, and his brains splattered on the field from the mortal wound in his helmet. I heard the scream of a mare falling to the mud, and using her hooves to gather up her splayed out intestines

"Help, I'm hit low!" called out another soldier,

"Medic!" I cried out, hoping one can hear me. I got out of the shell hole amid the murderous crossfire, and grabbed the soldier by his webbing. I dragged him by the webbing of his uniform, but one shell fell too many. As I dragged him in, a shell struck him below the waist. His lower half was vaporized, and his spine dragged on the cold muddy ground.

My eyes met the shrapnel victim. Blood trickled from her muzzle, and she lightly grinned to me, "Shoot me...," she muttered in a quiet voice, she had died as soon as the barrel of my revolver was aimed between her eyes. I shot my pistol in the lines, and killed two Changelings and helped lead my troops into back as we all charged out of the shell holes

"Forward! For the Princesses and Equestria!" I yelled,

The Earl and I found the opening as the machine guns were reloaded, and charged into the trench. So many ponies had died over the months trying to take this piece of ground. I shot every Changeling soldier that got in my way, and unsheathed my bolo. I had stabbed one through the back of the neck, and out the throat. I have no mercy for the enemy

I shot another one at pointblank change in the head, and straddled a second one before stabbing him in the heart. I got up with black blood splashed on my face, and kept up the attack. Browning Automatic Rifles quashed any resistance. The Changeling began to panic. The rifles and machine guns from our combined troops shot at a retreating enemy

The enemy retreated to the woods, "Will it ever end?"

Atop the piles of the dead and dying that cover the field, how can one taste of victory? All of this death for one hundred yards and a breach on the Eastern and Western Fronts. You cannot taste victory, only pain. With the battle over, I went up to the mare I could not save. Nopony could've saved her. I crouched down and closed her eyes, "Sleep now,"

That mare still had that light grin on her muzzle. It was a grin that said she had accepted her death. We had no time for ceremony as our dead were buried in a mass grave on the battlefield. The field medics were able to save the stallion that lost his back leg to an artillery shell. His name is Gold Star, "I hear the medical staff at the hospital are pretty"

"Don't worry, you did your time here," I said softly,

Two Pegasi field nurses carried him on a stretcher to the military hospital in Ponyville. I had holstered my pistol, and sheathed my bolo. I went to a shell hole filled with water to face my muzzle of Changeling blood. I soon found that there was a rotting corpse of a mare wading in the muddy water with her back against the shell hole that started moving.

I went up closer to the corpse, and was taken back with a gasp at what I saw. A rat the size of a kitten crawled out of her muzzle, and scurried off to find another hole to hide in. I shook my head to get my nerves back together, and lit myself a cigarette from my webbing pocket, "Might as well," I said to myself, and pulled the dead body out to be buried.

"You alright?" asked a concerned Earl of Grey,

"I'm fine, I was just...taken back a little," I replied, and accepted a hoof up. I helped the others put the finishing shovels of dirt and mud on the communal grave of our fallen. All the Changeling dead were thrown out of the trench, and into the field for the crows. If you were to tell me that you went over the top, and you weren't scared you're a damn liar.


	7. Chapter 7

**My Little Pony: One Thousand Tears**

**Chapter 7: The Summoning**

We have done it. We breeched the enemy lines after years of stalemate. Now the enemy is on the run. The next thing to do now is plan our next move. I got a letter from Gabby as she still functions as our mail-delivery griffon in this time of war. I opened the letter to read that I have been summoned by her majesties Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

I requested Sergeants Gilda and Gabby to follow me to my quarters, "I have been summoned to Cantorlot by her majesties Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, I am putting you two in charge of the troops, I do not think they will try and take back their trench, there is no tactical value in it now, I trust that the troops will be in good talons?" I asked them

"No problem, Lieutenant," said Gilda, saluting,

"You can count on us, m'am," added, Gabby,

"I know I can, you are dismissed," I replied, saluting back and the two sergeants went to do their inspections of the troops. I can also count on Galena to keep some order in the trenches. Soldiers like Gilda and Galena came to my regiment raw, and with a bad attitude. I was patient with them, and under baptism by fire I saw them become great soldiers

I made sure my uniform looked presentable from my peaked cap to the polished brass buttons on my feldgrau tunic jacket as I am going to see the princesses. At my side on my brown leather belt is my holstered Walther Model 6 and my M1889 cavalry officers sword. My sword is not just for show unlike some. I came out from my quarters to be seen off.

"I am counting on you both," I reminded them,

"As Gabby said, you can count on us," said Gilda,

I lightly nodded to them, and flew up into the sky from the scarred battlefield and off to Cantorlot. It is thanks to the combined efforts of Griffons, Hippogriffs, and Ponies that the Changeling Empire have not made it to Cantorlot's citadel. I kept my flight path low and near the tree lines, hoping that my dark fur and feathers will make me harder to see

In half a days flight, I made it to Cantorlot. I met a hippogriff as big as me with a beak the color of a sword and fur and feather the color of ripe wheat in the harvest. She wore a dark blue kepi with stitched gold laurels and a dark blue tunic jacket with brass buttons and epaulets. Holstered on a leather belt is an FN 1903 pistol and P1890 cavalry sword

"Heloise Warlander, L'Armee de Chefal," she greeted,

"Geline De Graaf, Royal Army of the Griffon Kingdom,"

"Well, a griffon without a stahlhelm," Heloise teased,

"A hippogriff more griffon than pony," I jested,

We exchanged a talon-shake and a touch on the cheeks with each other. Our greeting customs are very formal. While we waited on the Ponies, we talked about our families, our troops on the lines, tactics and weapons. I gave her my Walther Model 6, and she gave me her FN 1903. It is a very good sidearm. We were soon interrupted by the new arrivals

It was the two Unicorn Officers from the Eastern and Western Fronts. They wore khaki green tunic jackets. The stallion wore a Pattern 05 stiff peaked cap, and the mare wore a M1912 officers cap. We have to learn how to recognize army officers from the different parts of Equestria. They had holstered 1909 and 1917 revolvers and Pattern 1897 swords

"Valiant Charge, 308th Royal Unicorn Regiment,"

"Earl of Grey, 303rd Royal Unicorn Fusilier Regiment,"

"Good to meet you," I greeted back with a salute,

"I am thinking we all have our letters?" asked Heloise,

We shook talons and hooves as it was a pleasure to meet each other. We entered Cantorlot Palace as a quartet of the best officers of our armies. We all presented our letters of summons to the guards, and we were led inside. My sword made a light rattle at my side as I walked down the royal carpet and kneeled before the princesses just like the others

"Please rise, brave and valiant soldiers, all of you," said Princess Celestia, "it is thanks to your combined efforts that we have the Changeling Empire in retreat, it has cost many lives, but the stalemate is over, Queen Chrysalis may soon be resorting to more desperate measures, from I have been informed, the Badlands have been turned into a fortress,"

"We need more soldiers," said the Earl of Grey,

"We'll need guns, bigger guns," said Valiant Charge,

"You request it, and we will supply," said Heloise,

"Make sure your high commands call up and mobilize the reserves, we will need as many as we can muster for this final push," said Princess Luna, "according to sources given by our Pegasi Corps, the border of the Badlands has machine gun nests, barbed wire, artillery emplacements and reinforced concrete walls and bunkers, all along a five mile line"

"Queen Chrysalis is to be taken alive should the Badlands fall, we need for her to stand trial for her crimes," said Princess Celestia, it was very clear that this war is very stressful on her, "I would rather have her live and see the damage she has done, pay for all the lives lost, if she dies...then King Thorax's changelings will perish as well, I will not allow it"

"Understood," I said with a light nod to her valid point,

"That Chrysalis and her tricks," Valiant Charge snarled,

"It is like trying to fight a poison serpent," said Heloise,

The Hippogriffs have been charitable to the war effort for the ponies. When Equestria declared war on the Changeling Empire, the Ponies were not short on their rifles or machine guns. They came a bit short on heavy guns. Chefal supplied the Ponies with the 'Soixante-Quinze' field gun and Canon de 155 C modèle 1915 'St. Chamond' howitzer for the war

We Griffons will bring our mainstay artillery pieces for the assault effort on the Badlands Fortress. These will include the 7.7cm FK 16 field gun and the 10.5 cm leFH 16 howitzer. Although there are heavier artillery pieces in our arsenal, we rely on two pieces for their ease of transport on a battlefield and their reliability in the field. We will all do our parts.


	8. Chapter 8

**My Little Pony: One Thousand Tears**

**Chapter 8: Fields of Verdun (Sabaton)**

I have seen this war since the time I first dawned the uniform. This war is gunfire. This war is disease. This war is death. You make friends with those strong of heart, thinking they may live, but they will surely die. Those that are not killed at the front are left mangled in the body, and in the mind. What will we get at the end of the war? Just memories

In the trenches, nights are sleepless with the unending thunder of guns from our batteries and the enemy's. The land is as tortured a landscape as a wounded soldier at the field hospital away from the front. Many have lost wings, hooves, talons, or worse their sanity. I remember my first trip to the front. My thoughts were filled with adventure and fame.

You would not surprised how quickly dreams can turn to nightmares here. You will soon find that war is not about glory. It is about victory. It started for me with a recruit I met at the Army Training Grounds outside Étretat. Bright youthful green eyes, an ash-grey beak with a pleasant smile and a mix of tan dapple and white to her soft pelt and feathers.

Her name was Harriette, and she was with me at the front. The first night it rained. I shared a dugout in the trench with her, and shared a single cigarette to keep us warm. If and when we get some sleep, Harriette will sleep on my flank, joking that it provides much more warmth than the mud. I tip my helmet to you if you can manage to laugh here.

An officer emerged from a dugout, "It's time,"

"Wilhelmina, I don't know," Harriette stuttered,

"Stay by me, I'll keep you safe," I replied,

"Baïonnette au canon!" he called out, and the other officers repeated. One can spot the veterans and old hooves among the soldiers. They have seen this war. They have seen the synchronized slaughter, and know what is about to unfold. I unsheathed the bayonet from my side, and got up on the wood ladder of the trench rampart, looking back at her.

When the whistle blew, we charged. It seems the Changelings troops will always target the officers first. As Harriette and I went over the top, three officers fell back by rifle fire like dominos, and their last final mortal sound they make when a bullet hits the mark. The dead officers fell back into the trench with a sound like dropping a heavy sack of grain

Those that are shot should consider themselves lucky. Greater and more horrifying things always follow. The screaming sounds of artillery shells filled the air, and hammered the land below. Bodies are thrown to the air, falling dead on the cold ground. There is no time to mourn. The only thing to do is keep moving forward, and keep your head down low.

A soldier laid prone on the ground trying to use the dirt to cover only for a stray bullet from a machine gun to hit him in the head to kill him. Another was killed with three bullets in the back from the same machine gun. An officer was shot in the chest and belly, and he slumped over a bush of barbed wire. Harriette and I found a shell hole to take cover in

As I got into the shell hole, Harriette's uniform got caught in the barbed wire. I did what I could amid the maddening chaos of the front. Yet one shell fell too many, A shell went screaming through the air. Harriette ducked her head down with her hands clutching her helmet, but the shell landed a direct hit on her. A nearby small squad of soldiers ducked.

As it rained down clumps of dirt and mud, the squad of soldiers approached me with horrified awe in their eyes. I wiped my face and spat out blood, and was covered from my beak to my chest in a splatter of blood and bits of flesh. I took off my helmet and webbing in a hurried panic. I looked skyward, clutching the dirt, crying out my loudest scream.

_'Through all the ranks, here I am'_ I thought,

I have not forgotten that day, and I do not think I ever will. To think that now all of this madness can soon be at an end. With the enemy on the run, they will soon be on the defensive. With the guns falling silent in our trenches, there is some peace to be found and a meal to be passed around by the cooks. Still, I find it hard to eat without Harriette.

I still had Heloise. Here is hoping she will return soon. I held out my mess bowl for a meal, and a thick stew of shredded beef in it's own juices mixed with mashed potatoes and bits of bacon made for a wholesome meal, "It is not food for a princess, but it is good, trust me I would know," said Hamon with a grin, he is the cook for this section of trenches

With a cup of coffee for more warmth with my meal, I found that Hamon is right, it is good. I look up to see the night sky greet my eyes with stars dancing across the dark sky. Hamon is a hippogriff stallion with a black beak of a moderate size with feathers and a pelt as brown as rye bread with black talons and a black tail with black hooves and ankles.

With his cooking, here is hoping he survives the war. He has already lost his left talon and front leg to an artillery shell, and had it replaced with a mechanical steel replacement. He does what he does best, and that is make sure the soldiers are happy with hot food in their bellies rather than a bullet from a rifle or machine gun or shrapnel on the barrage.

As I look to the sky, I hope Harriette can forgive me. Even as I make my rounds to check on the well-being of the soldiers, I feel her spirit. I remember being on a trench raid a day after she died, I felt the warm sensation of a pair of gentle talons on my shoulders. I heard a voice, not one of anger but one of peace. She said into my ear: "I'm still here,"

**(Note: Please Read and Review Kindly)**


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